Conflict
by DemonWolfScum
Summary: Late night visits by unwelcome guests always bring trouble. Zutara! Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or any of the characters!


"Katara, would you please just listen to me?"

But the Fire Lord's plea was lost in the wind that whipped his long, disheveled hair around his face. As Katara ran farther away from him, he watched her, debating whether to run after her, to catch her in his arms and make her listen, to make her see the truth. What had happened, what she thought had happened, wasn't what he truly wanted. Couldn't she see that he loved her?

Zuko looked back to the palace walls where he knew Mai was waiting for him. Stupid Mai! Why did she have to ever come back? He ran his hand through his hair and growled in frustration before letting loose a breath of fire into the early morning sky. He couldn't face Mai just yet, he was too angry to think clearly. The situation would just worsen.

Deciding to take a walk, Zuko started into the city. He wasn't dressed in the proper attire of a Fire Lord, as the fiasco took place shortly after midnight. At least there were very few people on the streets: some vendors looking for an early start to their business day and a few fishermen headed out to sea.

"_Zuko, wake up," a soft voice whispered. A soft, beautiful voice that evoked an instant response from him._

Zuko shuddered. That voice, sweet and smooth, just made all his emotional barriers drop. She could get anything she wanted from him, anything her heart desired, and she knew it. That was why she had come to him.

_He kept his eyes shut but rolled his body towards her, reaching an arm out to where he knew she was seated and hooking it around her, pulling her close. She gave a small squeal of surprise before laughing quietly. "Zuko, you have to get up. I want to show you something."_

_Zuko cracked an eye open and took in her dark shape against the full moon that watched from just outside his window. He saw her wide eyes looking at him, waiting for a response. Knowing it would annoy her, he just grunted and pulled her closer._

_She sighed impatiently and pushed away. Standing up, she taunted, "Well, I guess you'll never see it."_

_Groaning in defeat, Zuko sat up and huffed out a "Fine." She laughed again and started walking to the window. Her skin bathed in the moonlight made his breath hitch. She looked absolutely gorgeous._

"_I'm not sure if I should show you now, or…" _

_Her words trailed off, teasing him. She knew he didn't like to wait. She also knew he hated surprises. It would only make sense for him to want to see whatever she had now. But before he could give her his exasperated answer, his eyes caught a glimpse of a second figure in his room. This one was also obviously female, but carried herself in an entirely different manner. Even hidden in the shadows, Zuko knew immediately who his visitor was._

"_How about you head back to your room and I'll meet you there after I dress?"_

_He watched her face fall. She had not expected that answer from him. He watched her shoulders slump slightly as she agreed to his proposal, then slipped out the door into the hallway as silently as she had crept in._

Zuko wanted to kick himself. Why had he told her to leave? He should have made her stay. He should have made her show him then. He should have had her face Mai with him. _Oh Katara, _he thought, _why didn't you stay? _So many possibilities for what he should have done, all of them better than the path he had chosen.

"_Zuko, I'm pregnant."_

_He couldn't seem to breathe. Pregnant? Was it his? Was that why she was here? Pregnant. Such an awful word._

"_I believe that it is my right to marry you and to have the heir to the throne," Mai continued. "That would be the right thing to do, nobility marries nobility after all. Peasants have no place in the royal families."_

_Zuko suddenly grew weary. So this was what she wanted, to marry him and become Fire Lady. It was always about the power with her. Ignoring her obvious jive against Katara, he said "Mai, we've had this conversation before."_

"_But things are different this time Zuko. I'm pregnant."_

_There it was again, that dreadful word. She was pleading this time though, really pushing to get her way. Something had changed. "What do you want from me Mai? I thought I made it clear that I just don't love you."_

_She moved closer and sat on the bed next to him. Zuko tried to subtly move away from her, hoping the distance would help reinforce what he had said, but she just scooted closer._

"_Zuko," Mai reached out and grabbed his shoulder. "You never gave me a chance to say how I felt."_

_The close proximity of the exes was suffocating. Zuko knew Mai didn't love him; she never had and never would. Right when Zuko was about to pull away from her grasp and voice his thoughts, Mai gripped his shoulder tighter and pulled him close. Before he could think about what was happening, her lips were on his._

_Zuko went still, forgetting to push her away in his shock. Mai never kissed him. It was too much emotion for her; it just wasn't proper behavior for a lady. What was going on?_

_Suddenly there was a gasp audible near the doorway. Mai and Zuko broke apart quickly and stared at where Katara's figure stood framed by the light of the hallway. Zuko stood up and took a step toward her, but Katara started backing up. She was shaking her head as though she were unable to comprehend what had just happened, as though she didn't want to. Tear tracks became visible as the light touched her face. Zuko felt like his heart would break in two._

"_Katara…" he called feebly, his hand reaching out towards her, but she just turned and ran._

Katara's gasp echoed in his mind, just as Mai's words replayed themselves over and over. Katara always seemed to enter conversations at the worst possible part, and she never wanted to stay for the explanation.

Zuko was suddenly mad at her. Why was she so stubborn? She always thought the worst in situations like this, and she never admitted she was wrong. How could you possibly explain the truth to someone who didn't want to hear it? It was maddening!

Zuko exhaled a long breath. Anger would solve nothing. It was time to face the facts. For one thing, he loved Katara, not Mai. Even if Mai's child were his own, he wouldn't love her. He couldn't. But what was Mai doing at the palace so late at night? Why couldn't she have visited him during the day?

Arriving at the edge of town, Zuko walked over to the palace walls near the service entrance. At this early hour, it was empty. The morning sunlight peeked over the wall and flashed into Zuko's eyes. Upon realizing the population on the streets was quickly rising, Zuko decided it was time to head back to his room and confront Mai for, hopefully, the final time.


End file.
